Opposable Thumbs —

The Midway: Calm down and evolve edition

The PS3 finally sees the release of flOw, and it may be the system's first …

This week's Midway has some good content, a total no-show, and a great pick of the week. I'm on something of a high after playing our featured game last night and today, so I think we should just jump right in.

Our pick of the week:flOw (PS3, $7.99) This is a game that does everything right. It feels like it fits perfectly on the PS3 in a way that no other game has so far with that console. It supports 1080p. It uses the tilt-control of the Sixaxis. Up to four players can jump in at any time. And it's simply beautiful to look at and play. You've been able to play the game online for a long time, but that version does not prepare you for the magnificence of the PS3 update. It looks like electroplankton and Geometry Wars had a kid that did some acid and then settled WAY down.

You begin as a simple creature that's not much more than a set of mandibles on a dot, and the more creatures you eat the more you evolve. There is combat in that you have to eat parts of other creatures to break them up, allowing you to evolve more, but there isn't much at stake, and it's hard to die. This is less of a pure game than an audiovisual experience, and it's a great way to calm down if you're stressed out. It's been released at a good price, takes advantage of the Sixaxis and the PS3 hardware, and really shines.

At first I wished I could play with the analogue stick instead of only using tilt, but once I got used to the controls I had to admit it did make everything feel more organic. This feels like something new and interesting, and like Geometry Wars before it, a downloadable game may be the most compelling thing on the console. What else was released this week?

Xbox Live Arcade: Nothing. Not a thing. Don't bother looking. Not even a demo. C'mon Microsoft!

The PlayStation Store: Not only was the terrific flOw released, but the PS3 Qbert was also released for $5. Not a bad show this week, and flOw may be one of the better games released this month period. A great PS3 title.

Virtual Console: Not a bad spread from Nintendo. While many people find Donkey Kong Country (SNES, 800 points or $8) boring, I've always been enamored with the classic game play. The Legend of Kage (NES, 500 points or $5) is a boring kung-fu game that's barely worth mentioning, but if you want some beat-em-up action it doesn't get much better than Streets of Rage (Genesis, 800 points or $8). I'm sure there are some Adventure Island fans out there, so the release of New Adventure Island (Turbografx 16, 600 points or $6) may get your wallets out. This is a somewhat eclectic—if solid—lineup from the Virtual Console this week. It's been a while since I've been let down by Nintendo's online offerings, and this week keeps the winning streak alive.